The Melancholy of Anzu Mazaki
by Hem Ntjr Seth
Summary: [I know that those bizarre and horrible events really did happen. I really did lose him.] Things to be aware of: AU, slightly OOC, Prideshipping, angsty plot, death, NOT Anzu centric]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it, except the plot. The plot is mine, you hear?

* * *

My experiences at Yuki Yama Prep School are not easily explained. Some say that the school was haunted, while others reason that none of those strange and sometimes awful events ever happened. Perhaps the whole thing was just one unending, horrific nightmare, or perhaps I truly was apart of a plot to destroy the lives of some many people. Perhaps, my nightmares were just that: nightmares. Just perhaps.

My mind tries to trick me into believing that it was all a lie; that that whole year of high school was just someone's sick joke. But my heart doesn't lie. It never lies. And I know better. I know that those bizarre and horrible events really did happen. I really did lose him.

As I sit in my chair before this fireplace, I am forced to remember what happened this very night five years ago. I was about to finish my final year of high school —I'm only a month from graduating college now—and I had already been plagued by several unfortunate events that year. Something wasn't right that night and I could sense it. And then the reaper came. That horrible creature with piercing eyes and hair like a winter blizzard came for me. I was certain that I was going to die and by that time I would have openly accepted death.

Fate is cruel though. I survived but he, my beloved, didn't. Of course he didn't: he was already dead and The Frozen Angel of Time wanted it that way. For a long time I considered suicide but I knew better. I would only end up as one of _them_. Besides, my beloved would have wanted me to live, if not for myself then for him.

The tears that I shed some nights remind me of the night that I was able to hold him for the very last time. I can still smell his scent when I dream. He's there in my dreams. He's always there in my dreams. But when I open my eyes, he's nowhere to be found, because he's not here. He's never here. He will never be here again. He's just a memory.

Everything that happened that year is just a memory.

* * *

Who is the narrator? Who died? And what do an angel and a reaper have to do with all of this? Your questions shall be answered… eventually. 

I know what you're thinking: "She's at it again. Why is she publishing yet another fic when she still has another one to update. She's going to just end up discontinuing this one too. Sigh." I say, "No I'm not!" But seriously, I don't plan on discontinuing this fic. After all, for the first time ever I've actually mapped out the entire story before writing it. Big shock, huh? There will be 16 chapters. You heard me right: 16 chapters. I told you that I've already mapped it out. I've already written chapter 2 and I'm writing chapter 3.

As a fair warning, at least four souls will met their doom by the time the story has ended.

Review please.


	2. Tarot

Anzu Mazaki made quite the impression on that first day of the last year of high school. From the first time I saw her, I knew that something wasn't right with the girl—I would find out later that my first impression of her was right. Mazaki was a strange girl and everyone knew it; she was always one to draw attention to herself whether she wanted to or not. Yet almost everyone liked her and some even wanted to be her friend. Mazaki wasn't impressed though.

"I am only interested in the supernatural and extraordinary people. If you aren't one of the supernatural then I want nothing to do with you. That is all," she had said on that first day. And although the class didn't believe her, Mazaki was serious.

She carried a deck of tarot cards everywhere she went and spoke of the supernatural without truly considering what exactly the supernatural was. And she would never find out. No, I would be the one to find out. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Mazaki wore her hair in the same style everyday: two high tails tied up with blue, lace ribbon. She spoke with an arrogant tongue, snapping at everyone, whenever she was in the mood to voice her thoughts to the world. She walked like a queen and paraded herself around like one, going as far as telling the class It Boy, Otogi, to shut his mouth when he tried to ask her out on a date. The universe revolved around Anzu Mazaki. The irony is that the universe really did revolve around her. She just wasn't aware of it.

Anyway, I wasn't interested in Mazaki to begin with. To be completely honest, I wasn't interested in anyone. After all, Seto Kaiba doesn't give a flying fuck about anyone, does he? Ha. I, Seto Kaiba, just happened to end up in the seat in front of Mazaki that year. I have foul luck, don't I? She didn't seem interested in me either because although I turned around asked her if she was serious, she just closed her eyes and placed her head on the desk.

For a week we didn't speak to one another and I seriously thought that it was to stay that way. But things didn't turn out as I had hoped. Mazaki made the world spin; she decided how things would turn out. She always got her way. And as much as I would like to say that I was in full control of the situation, Mazaki was controlling everything. She was the puppeteer in the production and the rest of us were her play things.

* * *

One morning, one of the more popular girls came over to Mazaki and said, "Say, you have a tarot deck, right?" 

"Yes," Mazaki replied.

The girl giggled, glancing over at her friends who were obviously laughing at Mazaki, "Can you read my fortune?"

Mazaki smirked, "Sure thing," and reached into her pocket, pulling out the deck of tarot cards. She split the pile into four smaller piles and placed them on the desk with one pile by itself and the other three piles in a row.

The girl was able to learn a valuable lesson: never laugh at Anzu Mazaki unless you expect to be treated even worse.

"What would you like to ask the cards?" asked Mazaki without pause.

"What's the future of the relationship that I have with my boyfriend? Or is that question unanswerable for you because you don't have a boyfriend?" asked the girl, her friends laughing more. Mazaki was serious and she was intent on making the girl eat her words.

Mazaki flipped her wrist, turning over the top card of the lone pile, "Ah, I have drawn the Lovers of the Major Arcana. This is perfect for your question. But it's reversed. Oh no. Exaggeration abounds, emotions run high—especially jealousy. Beware of self-indulgence and greed." She flipped the next card, "This is not good. The Magician is reversed. The cards say that in the past you have been arrogant. You also made enemies instead of friends."

"Arrogant?!" exclaimed the girl, "I'm not arrogant. You're making this up!"

Mazaki ignored her and flipped the next card with haste, "The Sun represents the present. Relationship hassles are likely. Don't get wrapped up in yourself so tightly that you ignore your partner's needs. Try to do want's good for your partner and all others around you. It also implies that you should stop being overly dramatic."

The girl was seething with anger by now, "How dare you say such a thing!"

But Mazaki wasn't finished. She still hadn't read the future yet and I had a feeling of what was coming next. Mazaki flipped over the last card, "And finally we have Justice in reversed position. Tell the truth or get ready to face the consequences. Your friends are wishy-washy," the girl's friends stopped laughing, "Do your part for once and let go of the past. Resolve to turn over a new leaf or your relationship will only get worse." Mazaki looked up from the cards and smirked at the girl, "Also, it would be in your best interest to end that little fling that you're having with Otogi. He's just holding you down. Oh and, your boyfriend is standing in the doorway."

And sure enough there was the girl's boyfriend, and he had heard every word. He shook his head in disgust and left.

"Wait, Varon! I love you!" called the girl as she ran out after him. Her friends rose from their seats, glared at Mazaki and raced out after her.

Mazaki's smirked widened as she gathered up her cards, "What an idiot."

* * *

For some reason that I still don't understand, Mazaki's behavior interested me and I would often stare at her without fully realizing what I was doing. It was as if she was making me stare at her. 

"Get your eyes off me," she hissed at me one morning and I, seemingly powerless to resist her wish, did. Then something strange happened; something that I would later look back on as the domino that started the downward spiral: Mazaki poked me between the shoulder blades and I turned and faced her.

"What?" I asked, already annoyed.

"Are you good with computers?"

"The best," I said.

"Is there a supernatural club here?" She had transferred from another school in the district.

"Not that I know of," I replied, taken back the strange question.

"Pity," she said, "I guess I'll have to start one." She looked out the window, humming to herself. Something was cooking in that strange mind that could only belong to Anzu Mazaki. "Yes!" she suddenly exclaimed; the class turning to look at the two of us with bewilderment, "I'll start a club! I'll call it the Supernatural Explorers Club. And you're going to be my Computer Communications Officer! It's perfect."

"It's not happening, Mazaki. I refuse to be in your little club."

"It won't be little for long. With you building our website, we'll be flooded with members in no time. Besides, who said you had a choice?"

"I believe I did."

"Well, I override your wish as I am Club President. Meet me after school in the library. "

I was about to protest again but the bell rang and first period was over. Mazaki, naturally, had to be the first one out the door, and so she ran from her seat behind me and shoved her way through the forming crowd of students. And then she was gone.

I could have easily just left that afternoon, but for some reason I complied with her wishes. It wasn't as though I had a reason to go anywhere anyway. Living by yourself, when you're just trying to get through each day, leaves a lot of spare time for nonsense. And so I stayed and waited for her in the library after school.

* * *

Yes, Kaiba isn't rich and mighty here. He's poor. My most sincere apologies. Do you like my Anzu? She's a bitch, isn't she? And just to make things clear: there will be no Azureshipping (thank Ra). 

Any if anyone cringed while reading this, sorry about that too. You'll find as the story progresses that things are very different in my story than how they are in the anime or manga. AUs are like that. I have my reasons. But I promise that I won't make the characters act too crazy.

And as a final note, if you didn't realize it based on the title, I based Anzu's character off of Haruhi Suzumiya. In fact, a lot of this fic is based off of the anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I mixed in several other fandoms as well, and you'll notice those in later chapters.

Please leave a review.


	3. Supernatural Explorers Club

I decided to post chapter 3 on the same day as chapter 2 to show you guys that I'm dedicated. I swear I am. Since I missed the disclaimer last chapter, here are two disclaimers for your enjoyment.

Disclaimer 1: I do not own the characters. I do however own tarot cards that I used for last chapter. Yes, I did flip over my personal tarot cards and come up with those particular cards. Luckily, they fit so nicely.

Disclaimer2: Again I do not own the characters. I do not own a cat although my friend's cat loves me. I also do not own a nice camera. Mine sucks. I am not to be held responsible if someone's brain breaks do to the OOCness in this chapter. You've been warned.

Please enjoy, my faithful readers.

* * *

Smiles and anxiety: that was all that I saw. Of course Mazaki was grinning; proud as though she had solved some great mystery of the universe. She was always too proud; feeding on the energy of those around her. Yet I still saw smiles on faces and excitement shining in the eyes of the people in this particular part of the library… all smiles but one. 

They stood in the center of the room; Mazaki sitting on the largest table in sight. She was grinning like a love struck idiot -- a clipboard resting on her lap -- as she twirled a ballpoint pen in her hand. Perhaps she was a love-struck idiot who was in love with this idea for a club that was not needed, in love with this idea for a club that was based on nonsense about nonsense, in love with herself for creating the idea.

"Welcome to the pre-meeting of the Supernatural Explorers Club. Today we'll be discussing advertising and introducing everyone. First of all, I'm Mazaki Anzu. Thank you all for coming." Thank you? She had forced most of us to show up. "Now to advertising." She focused on a random spot on the far wall and tapped the pen against her cheek. A good fifteen seconds or so passed as the idea cooked in her head. Then her eyes lit up and it was quite obvious that the dish of an idea was ready to be served and shoved down all of our throats. I could have sworn that I had heard the timer go off.

"Eureka!" she exclaimed, "Third year Kawaii Shizuka-san will be our mascot. Isn't that a great idea? Tell me that's a great idea. Yes, I know, it's a great idea."

Now she was talking to herself? All eyes focused on the quiet girl with the curvy figure and blush on her cheeks.

"What? Why? I'm not pretty at all." Kawaii-san was a shy girl and didn't like to be the center of attention. She was humble and didn't think too highly of herself. But in all truth, she was a very cute and I was certain that she would make some lucky man very happy one day.

"Yes, it's perfect! We'll dress her up and parade her around for all to see. That's sure to get us many male members. I must be a genius to have come up with it. A genius indeed."

Kawaii-san blushed further and sat down in a chair, averting her eyes from everyone.

"And the foreign exchange student will attract girls for us. Second year FES, please step forward."

The blonde, tanned boy known as Malik Ishtar stepped forward, "I happily sell myself to pretty girl if it mean promoting idea, Aanisah Mazaki." The boy had said that he was from Egypt and would stay for a year to explore our culture and bring back some of it to his people. As if the corruption was truly needed.

"Wonderful, FES!"

Malik Ishtar smiled, "I do my best."

Mazaki put the pen in her hand down on the table. "Third year Jounouchi Katsuya, please step forward."

The blonde boy marked the page of his Sci-Fi book and closed it then stood up from the chair that he had been sitting in. Jounouchi was a quiet kid, who preferred to keep to himself, so it was a wonder that he had shown up. "Mazaki-san."

"Would you mind doing some research on the other clubs on campus?" By research she was implying that she wanted him to spy on the other clubs.

"Not at all, Mazaki Anzu-san."

Mazaki nodded, "Good attitude, Jounouchi-san. As you were." The blonde bowed to her then plopped back down into the chair and went back to enjoying his book. "You all know, Kaiba-san?" They looked in my general direction and nodded. "Oh that's great. Kaiba-san will be my Computer Communications Officer. Kaiba-san, I want you to take pictures of Kawaii Shizuka-san for our website. Sex sells, you see, so put her in the most revealing outfit you can find. You know how to manipulate images, right?"

I stared at her for a few moments then said, "I refuse. That's clear exploitation and you know it. Kawaii-san is not an object that you can just put up for sale and profit from. She's a human being."

"Eh? Something wrong, Kaiba-kun?" She made it a point to place emphasis on the '-kun'.

I scowled. "Don't call me that."

Kawaii-san cleared her throat. "Umm, may I put a word in? I mean, if that isn't too much trouble of course."

She caught my gaze and I nodded, "Feel free."

"Kaiba-san, I don't think that it would be too much trouble if you complied with Mazaki-san's request. She is the president of our club after all."

Mazaki clapped her hands together and said with satisfaction, "Then it's settled! I expect those pictures done by the end of the school week. Meeting adjourned."

I stared at her again as the Malik and Jounouchi left the library, "It's already Friday."

She grinned, "Then you don't have much time, huh? Better get busy."

Kawaii-san blushed. "Kaiba-san?" I sighed heavily in resignation and the two of us headed off to the drama club room, leaving Mazaki alone to formulate her plans.

* * *

-Third person POV; a few hours later- 

Through an opening in one of the library's shelves, crimson watched the chestnut-haired boy argue with the arrogant girl with the two high tails. The girl waved her arms dramatically then laughed. The chestnut-haired boy glared at her, dropped something into her lap and then shook his head in frustration and walked away.

"My, he's pretty. Oh look, he's coming this way." Crimson widened, "Shit." The shinigami panicked, turning himself into a black cat just in time for the chestnut-haired boy to storm by and disappear from sight. 'Ra, that was close.'

The shinigami-cat known as Yami licked his paws and scratched himself behind his ears. He then leaped onto the book shelf and climbed up it until he got to the open space that he had been looking through moments before. He stretched and sat with his tail curled around himself, watching the girl hold up the camera that the chestnut-haired had dropped in her lap. The girl made what could be described as a half-squeal and put the camera in book-bag and hopped out of the chair that she had been sitting in. 'Mazaki Anzu I would presume. She's the one we're after.'

The girl froze and turned slowly toward Yami's direction and their eyes met. 'Did I say that out-loud?' The girl pointed at Yami and exclaimed, "A red-eyed cat! It's a supernatural being!"

Yami tensed up and leaped from the shelf, racing away from her as fast as his little legs could carry him. The girl picked up her book-bag, tossed it over her shoulder and ran after Yami. "Come back here, freaky kitty!"

* * *

In case you were wondering, Aanisah means Miss in Arabic. I thought that since Malik is a foreign exchange student from Egypt that having him speak with broken sentences and use Arabian terms would be fitting. 

Please leave a review. Your reviews are what motivate me to get up off my lazy ass and update.


	4. Witness

**Story notes:** I had a dream about a cat version of Yami who Kaiba comes across on a rainy day while walking the streets of Domino. Whatever kindness is left in his heart motivates him to pick up the shivering cat and shelter it from the cold under his trenchcoat. I knew that I had to do something with cat Yami so I made that his shinigami alternate form.

Also, it is important to note that the Japanese school year starts in April. However, due to overwhelming convenience and the plot fitting together easier, I have left the school year as starting in mid-August and ending in early June with little mentions of Summer in between.

This story takes place in a closed environment –meaning that the only way to get there is by boat or small airplane– on one of the islands west of Honshu, Japan's largest island. There are many small streams and rivers throughout the island that supply water to the inhabitants who for the most part live in the center of the island where the ground is highest, the main town resides, and where Yuki Yama Prep School is located. I decided to have the students live on campus in small dormitory-like houses and apartments that are provided by the school. Kaiba lives alone in one of these apartments with special permission from school administrators, while the rest of Mazaki's club who are more social live in the dormitories and share rooms. The students at Yuki Yama Prep School do not actually live on the island; it's just their home for the school year. They do leave the island to go back to Honshu in the summer via large ships to visit family and friends.

**Chapter note:** The Japanese do not celebrate the holiday that is known to the Western world as Halloween. Instead they have a festival called Obon (pronounced oh-bone) which does not consist of scaring people, carving pumpkins, wearing costumes and eating candy until your teeth rot. On the contrary, Obon is more like the Mexican festival of El Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead. The Obon festival is a time where the Japanese remember and pay special tribute to those who have passed on. They do this in a number of different ways such as sweeping the paths to their homes so that the dead may be welcomed properly, stringing up lights to help guide the dead, having family get-togethers from all over Japan, setting up offerings of incense, flowers and food, having special ritual dances where everyone participates, and lighting lanterns and releasing them on little boats into water. Although Obon is a Buddhist festival, it is celebrated by all in Japan and in other places where Buddhism is a minority religion like Hawaii and in mainland United States' Japan-towns. The Obon festival traditional takes place in late August instead of October.

**Disclaimer:** Nothing has changed since last chapter. I still don't own the fandoms that I write about, my only company are my birds, and my mother is being possessive over her nice camera and refusing to let me borrow it for personal use.

* * *

It was time for the Obon festival again and everyone was busy preparing for the festivities. Yuki Yama Prep School always held its version of the festival in the school gym. I wasn't a fan of big festivals or parties so the school's activities held little interest for me. Unfortunately, Mazaki had every intention of making sure that everyone in her club, whether we had wanted to be in it or not, participated since she was certain that something was going to happen later on. 

As far as I was concerned, there was no use even showing up in the gym that night, because there would be nothing of even remote interest going on. Already used to her personality, I knew that she would just become bored and probably end up leaving. If she wanted to witness something extraordinary she was going to be very disappointed. What she would most likely witness is hundreds of teenagers dressed in yukatas, tabi socks and zori/geta sandals laughing, playing festival games, stuffing their faces with food, and one or two bored pranksters to ruin the festival for everyone.

However, Mazaki being Mazaki was not one to listen and so I stopped trying to convince her that the whole thing was a big waste of time. If someone just won't listen, then why try to change their mind? It's absolutely pointless.

Kawaii-san was describing to the Ishtar boy, as I had become so fond of calling him, what the festival was about. He was taking down whatever he thought was significant in his notebook and asking her questions. She giggled at one of the questions and he grinned at her, saying something that had her bursting into fits of laughter. It took a few moments before he realized what was so funny and laughed with her. Kawaii-san, as shy as she was, was becoming more and more comfortable around the Ishtar boy, spending most her time with him. The Ishtar boy 'accidentally' dropped his pen and Kawaii-san bent down to pick it up for him, blushing as her hand brushed against his. So the Ishtar boy was an opportunist? It was only a matter of time before the friendship between Kawaii-san and the Ishtar boy developed into something more, and instead of blushing when her hand made contact with his, she'd be holding and squeezing it; whispering sweet nothings into his ear and him smiling softly back at her.

Pfft. High school relationships were pointless as people would only end up going their separate ways and moving on to new relationships. I just hoped that she wouldn't be too damaged when he had to go back to Egypt and was forced to break it off with her. Kawaii-san was such a sweet girl and it would be quite a shame to see her with her arms crossed on her desk, her head buried in the crook of her arm to muffle the sobs.

Meanwhile Mazaki, who was peeling fruit at her desk for the festival food committee, smiled at me, "Would you care for an apricot, Kaiba-san?"

I paused my counting of to be sold festival raffle tickets and gave her a blank look. "No, thank you. I already ate. Besides, being around one is more than enough."

She seemed to have fully understood my cold statement and thus frowned, "Alright, suit yourself, Kaiba-san." Was that genuine hurt that I saw in her eyes? No, Mazaki wouldn't be terribly bothered by my words. "Keep up the good work."

She got up from her desk and went over to Jounouchi-san's, speaking softly to him. The blonde-haired boy placed his finger in his book so that he wouldn't lose his place, reached into his book-bag and pulled out what looked like a red journal. Mazaki-san's face lit up as he handed it to her, and she immediately began looking through it.

Jounouchi-san, who had already finished with organizing festival fans by color and type, gave her his rare soft smile, caught my gaze for a few moments and then dropped his eyes and picked up where he had left off in his book.

* * *

I hadn't had any intentions whatsoever of actually showing up that night in the school gym for the festival but Mazaki had dragged all of us along anyway. I stuck around and collected more raffle tickets, making pointless small talk with people throughout the night. The raffle was always the event that ended the school festival and so around 10 p.m., after a few students had won some quite worthless stuffed animals and toys, the gym began emptying of students and faculty members. I took the opportunity to slip away from the festivities and made my way down to the river on the edge of town. I still had one more thing to do on this particular night and I wasn't going to allow Mazaki to ruin it for me. 

When I got close to the river I thought that I was alone and had finally been granted the privacy that I had been looking forward to all evening. But I soon knew that I was mistaken as I saw a person standing near the water. Since it was foggy I couldn't make out who the person was at first but didn't take long for me to recognize him.

"Evening Ishtar. I didn't see you at the festival." I said.

The Ishtar boy's head turned and he smiled when he saw me. "Seto Kaiba, good evening."

"What are you doing here?" I asked. He couldn't possibly be here for the same reason that I was.

He raised his head to look at the stars. "Festival isn't for me. I come here to river to be alone. Reminds me of Mother Nile and sister. Is comforting."

I walked to stand next to him on the riverbank. "Sister? Is she back in Egypt?"

"In a way, yes. Sister died years ago in Egypt. She had much potential to be great woman." He turned his head and looked at me again. "Why you come here, Seto Kaiba?"

I dropped to my knees on the edge of the riverbank and placed a lantern-boat in the water. "I came here for the same reason that you came here, Ishtar. I wanted to be alone."

"Is all?" he asked.

"No, I wanted to honor my brother who passed on a few years ago. That's what this festival is supposed to be about, Ishtar – to honor the dead – not to play games and eat until the contents of your stomach violently rise up and come out your mouth."

"I see. Is good festival for remembering sister, yes?"

I reached into my school jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of matches, opening it to take a match out. "Yes. It's a great festival to honor your sister." Lighting the candle in the lantern-boat, I pushed the little boat into the water and blew out the flame on the match.

The Ishtar boy watched me and said, "Shall have to take note on this in writing book."

I got to my feet and watched the little boat drift farther and farther away. "What was your sister's name?"

"Sister's name?" The question seemed to startle him as a haunted expression swept around his face and for a moment he seemed to a different person entirely. "Sister's name?" I began to feel a deep sadness emitting from him that made me feel empty and cold. He lowered his head and his golden-blonde bangs shrouded his eyes in the darkness. "Sister's name was Ishizu." Then he turned around and walked away, disappearing into the foggy night.

* * *

Something was strange about the Ishtar boy. I shook off the uncomfortable feeling and began to make my way back to school grounds. A butterfly showed up when I was half back to school and followed me until I arrived at my apartment. It's a common belief that the dead become butterflies and moths when they die so I welcomed the butterfly's presence. Said butterfly stayed with me for a while and then flew away. 

Suddenly a scream filled the air and I rushed toward the direction where the sound had come from: the school's main hallway. Many others were gathering in the hallway, obviously here for the same reason that I was. A girl was trembling and pointing at something on the floor. It was the body of one of the students judging by the school sweater that it wore. Blood was smeared and spilled everywhere.

"A murder," several students murmured.

"My god. Look at all of the blood," a familiar voice in the forming crowd said.

"Looks like you got your wish, Mizaki. This is indeed something extraordinary," I said coldly.

"Who is it?" she asked, dressed in her nightgown with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

"That's Hopkins Rebecca," it was Jounouchi-san this time, "What could have happened here?" He was still dressed in the blue, pine and crane yukata and zori sandals that he had worn to the festival.

"The American?" questioned Mazaki.

Jounouchi-san walked up to the corpse and closely examined it, "There are bite marks on her neck… whatever's left of it." He was right. The neck of what had been Rebecca Hopkins's had been sliced open. "A sword perhaps?"

"Who the hell on campus has a sword?" I asked.

"Perhaps a history or martial arts teacher," Mazaki suggested. "This is just the mystery that the Supernatural Explorers Club has been waiting for."

"Now really isn't the time for that, Mazaki," I said, annoyed.

"You're right," she said, "We'll discuss it tomorrow."

I shook my head. Mazaki just didn't get it. "I'm leaving." And with that I pushed though the crowd and headed back to my apartment. I brushed against the Ishtar boy in the crowd. His touch was icy cold and his eyes unmoving as if in a trance.

"Dark magic here I sense. Many an ill fortune ahead. Be wary of surroundings, Seto Kaiba, and steer clear of danger at all cost."

"Thank you for the advice, Ishtar," I said curtly, "Now I'd advice you to find a fireplace and warm yourself before it. You're freezing."

"No fire can warm cold in me. And no fire can warm cold feeling in others, Seto Kaiba. Remember that, always. Goodnight."

I pushed my way out of the crowd. "Goodnight, Ishtar."

* * *

**More story notes**

**Shizuka and Jounouchi: **In case you were wondering, Shizuka and Jounouchi are not related in any way in this story. I decided to ignore the animanga canon brother-sister relationship completely. It just wouldn't have worked in this story. You'll see why later on.

**MalikxShizuka:** This pairing never occurred to me before and it completely developed on its own in this chapter. To be completely honest, I hadn't had any intention of creating any pairings besides the main one. I had never shipped these two together before but it sounds cute in this context so whatever.

**Anzu Mazaki and the apricot: **In case you weren't aware, Anzu means apricot. Kaiba is implying that he doesn't want the fruit apricot because he already has had enough of the person apricot.

**Malik:** His sister died when he was young due to causes that will be explained later.

**Mokuba:** I love the kid but it worked out better in this story if he was missing/dead. Besides, I couldn't pass up the chance to have Kaiba honor his brother during the Obon festival. I figured that if Kaiba had had the choice to be alone for the festival he probably would have spent the whole night at home sitting in a dark room looking at a picture of his brother; a single candle being the only source of light in the room. Since it would be out of character for Mazaki to leave him alone, Kaiba slipping away from the festival, when she's out of sight, down to the river to light a lantern-boat for his brother just seemed to fit.

Review please.


	5. Mokuba

**General notes:** If you bother reading this little fic, would you please leave a review so that I know? Otherwise I feel like I'm updating for no one and that the time I use to write is completely wasted. For those of you call yourself my fan, please prove it by leaving me something to muse or smile about. It really helps and I could really use the motivation. Thanks.

Second, I apologize for the few grammar and obvious misspelling of Mazaki last chapter. I think that I have a minor case of dyslexia. I sometimes completely miss putting in words because my mind reads what I've written as the word being there when it isn't. I also mix 'my' and 'more' up frequently. Please be patient with me. If you happen to find a misspelling or a sentence that is obviously missing a word please ignore the mistake. I promise that I did not do it intentional. I try to be very careful, and sometimes, even with spell-check, the mistake is not caught in time.

Third, I've created a Prideshipping fanmix that still needs album artwork. Coloring doujinshi takes forever and it's been distracting me from writing. If you would like to contribute some album artwork, that you don't mind me editing, feel free to email me. My email is located on my profile. Even if I decide not to use it, I will include it in the final release of the fanmix.

**Story notes:** I was planning to write 16 chapters but it might end being shorter or longer than that. I have a detailed story outline written but I might decide to tweak it several times over. I'm not perfect. But I can guarantee one thing: this story will end on a good note. I hope that you guys won't be disappointed with the ending.

If case you didn't catch it, that butterfly from last chapter was most likely Mokuba's spirit watching over his brother. Cute, ne?

Did you miss Yami? Hehe.

**Chapter notes:** Summer festivals in Japan are similar to the Obon festival except they are purely held for fun and leisure. Usually there is no religious significance at all.

The long flashback in this chapter is told in the present tense. I usually don't use this tense when I write but it seemed to fit better than the past tense.

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_Three darts whoosh through the air like missiles, each one hitting their desired target. Red. Yellow. White. Three balloons pop at the same time. A bell dings. A boy smiles. Another shorter boy jumps up and down in excitement, clapping. The taller boy knows that he has won. He always wins at games._

_Old eyes widen in astonishment. The boy as just preformed an astounding feat. "Wow. That's quite an arm you've got there. Well then, which one of these fine prizes would you like, young man?"_

"_I don't know." Cerulean focuses on soft grey. "Which one do you want, Mokuba?"_

"_Can I have _that_ one, Nii-chan?"_

_Uncertainty that doesn't fit. "Which one is 'that one', Mokuba?"_

"_That white one on the top shelf next to the purple stuffed elephant!"_

"_You mean the dragon?"_

"_Yea! That one! It looks really cool!"_

_Cerulean refocuses on the old man. "May I have the dragon, please?"_

_The stall owner smiles as he reaches up for a plush white dragon with blue eyes. "Such a polite young man you are." He takes it down and hands it to the twelve year old. "Here you go."_

_The twelve year old boy hands the plush dragon to his little brother who is no older than eight. His little brother grins and snuggles the plushie, holding it close to his chest. _

_The-twelve year-old gives his attention back to the old man. "Thank you kindly, ojii-san. Have a good night."_

_The old man's smile widens. "Yes, same to you, my boy. You and your brother take care, alright?"_

_The twelve-year-old smiles back. "Thank you again." He bows to the old man. "We will."_

_The eight-year-old boy grins at his older brother. "Can we see the shrine maiden's dance next?" An untainted innocence amongst so much corruption._

_Such content amongst so much regret. "Anything you want to do, we'll do, Mokuba."_

_Such happiness amongst so much worry. "Yes! You're the best, Nii-chan!"_

_An undying love between brothers. "Don't praise me, Mokuba. I'm just doing what any older brother does with his younger brother." Smiling softly, he ruffles the raven-haired boy's hair._

_Two souls bonded forever. "Still, you're the greatest. I love you, Nii-chan."_

_An eternal promise of hope and comfort. Perfection in its purest incarnation. "Race you to the shrine!" Naïve laughter._

"_Mokuba, that's not a good idea. There are too many people." The brother he swore to protect is getting farther and farther away. "Slow down! Mokuba!" And he's gone. "MOKUBA!"_

_Panic floods the twelve-year-old's mind. The perfection is shattered as if someone punched the mirror that is his soul. He runs as fast as he can, dodging stalls and pushing summer festival goers out of the way. He has to find Mokuba. He has to!_

_He's found him. No. It can't be. Not like this. It can't be! Mokuba!_

_He cradles his little brother in his arms. Tears flow down his cheeks. He already knows. His brother is gone._

_The driver didn't see. He didn't mean to. He swears that he didn't mean to. He blames the darkness. He blames the fog. He blames his brakes. He's heartbroken he says. He says that the guilt is eating away at him. He drops to his knees in front of the broken twelve-year-old. He begs for forgiveness. A million apologies. It doesn't matter what the driver says. The apologies aren't enough. Nothing is enough._

_The twelve-year-old is filled with a blind rage. He can no longer trust. "You bastard! You robbed him of his life, his hopes, his dreams and his innocence!" He grabs the driver by the collar and punches him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the man who has already poured his heart out onto his sleeve. "I-I'll never forgive you for this! May your soul never rest!" He has said it: the ultimate curse. A curse of damnation and inescapable sin. _

_The driver, clutching his stomach in pain, doesn't say anything further. He knows that he deserves much more than a simple punch for what he has done._

_The doctors tell his parents the heartbreaking news. To say that they don't take it well would be an understatement. The mother refuses to eat or talk to anyone. The father blames his living son for the tragedy._

"_You did this to her, you demon child!"_

_The twelve-year-old, already heartbroken and struggling to deal with new burdens that a person four times his age should have, is stunned by his father's words. "It wasn't my fault! The driver, he--"_

_His father has lost his sense of reason. "Get out of my sight! No, leave this house and never return! I can't stand to look at you!"_

_The twelve-year-old soon becomes convinced that it's his fault. It's his entire fault. If only he had been a better brother. If only he hadn't let his brother out of his sight. If only… no. It's not worth it. Instead of allowing the guilt to kill him softly, he vows to become something great so that he can have the life that Mokuba dreamed of. He believes that there is no greater way to honor his brother._

_The village priest, who he stays with after his father kicks him out of the house, suggests that he leave Honshu and continue his study away from where the 'incident' happened. He agrees that that will be best. The kind priest gets in touch with another priest on an island west of Honshu where a prep school has just opened and is accepting students from all over Japan._

_The twelve-year-old decides that he will attend that school through high school. This may be his only chance to make Mokuba's dream come true. He takes it, vowing that he will succeed, he will be happy and he will move on. That is his eternal promise._

"_I love you too, Mokuba."_

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The shinigami-cat known as Yami found trying to open a window and balancing on the window sill at the same time to be dangerous. After several attempts, he realized that he could just phase through the window to get inside, as if that wasn't completely obvious. He swore that he could hear his shinigami-partner saying in his head…

"You don't think things through, do you Yami?"

He'd damn her for being right if she wasn't already cursed with the shinigami fate. You can't damn someone who has already been damned.

'Damn it, why I am even thinking about damning a damned soul?' Yami wondered, shaking his head. 'Moving on.'

He decided that phasing through the wall was the best idea and within seconds he was inside Seto Kaiba's bedroom. He took a few minutes to absorb his surroundings and muse on the teenager's taste in decorating.

'Desk, chair, armchair, end table, lamp, alarm clock. No television, computer or radio? How does this boy entertain himself?' He started to snicker but quickly smacked himself on the head and stopped. 'No. Bad thoughts, Yami. Bad, bad, bad thoughts.'

The shinigami-cat leapt from the inside window-sill and cautiously made his way to the bed in the center of room. After he had successful conquered scaling the bed, he stalked over to the empty space next to the sleeping chestnut-haired boy and lounged on it.

He was lucky that Kaiba slept with his face facing the center of the bed and his back facing the wall. It was much easier to watch him sleep that way.

Kaiba shifted a little; his mouth opening slightly. An incoherent mumble escaped his lips.

'He must be dreaming,' Yami thought to himself, as he touched the boy's hair with a little black paw. He smiled, crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. 'He's even more beautiful up close. It's a shame that he'll be gone soon.' He sighed, his ears dropping a little at the thought. He looked up at the ceiling. 'I do have to admit that it would be nice if things turned out differently for once. Is that too much to ask, Great Lady?' He rolled his eyes and looked back down at the boy beside him. 'Don't torment yourself, Yami. It's your job to do this kind of thing… whether you want to or not.'

After fighting with himself for a few long moments, Yami decided that he would do something in his own interest for once and leaned down -- transforming back to his normal black winged and leather-clad form-- stealing a kiss from the boy's lips. Yami snickered again, quickly covering his mouth to muffle his amusement…

It seemed Sleeping Beauty was not going to wake up after all.

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